At Lowca Community School, we value personal development as much as academic achievement as this provides valuable life skills which form the character of our pupils. We allow pupils to follow their own interests as well as provide a wide range of experiences such as animal care, outward bound, forest school, performance art, extra curricular activities and cultural enrichment through trips to museums and galleries to broaden experiences of the wider world. We do a lot of work in the local environment to provide pupils with an understanding of community and society. We also provide experiences to support Career guidance throughout the school to highlight the endless possibilities beyond primary school.
Pupils work together in House Teams to collect points for rewards and complete Mental Health activities regularly including taking part in Decider Skills and Children ‘s Mental Health Week.
We provide pupils with a voice to help change and monitor the school including School Council, Eco Warriors, Sports Leaders and Mental Health Champions. Each year children present and vote for new representatives, including Head Boy and Head Girl, so everyone has a chance to be involved, and activities are planned for the year to make sure every role has a purpose and long lasting impact.
Many of our pupils also fulfill roles within our small school to develop responsibility and independence – these include play leaders who run activities at lunch and break times, pupils who bring drinks and snacks on to the yard for pupils to enjoy, and those who help at lunch time to cut food and pour drinks for our little ones.
Every Friday, pupils take part in our ‘Character Curriculum’ where they learn life skills and complete activities in relation to the Cumbrian Award. This year, we are focusing on social skills, mental health strategies and first aid as well as neurodiversity awareness, forest school, money skills, kidsafe, enterprise projects and U-Dance performances. Over the last two years we have investigated ‘What makes Cumbria great’ where each class focused on a different subject theme:
History – local mining in Whitehaven and Lowca
Geography – Glacial formation of the Buttermere Valley
English – famous poets and authors including William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter
Science – West Lakes Science Park and local scientific researchers
Music & Art – local artists and musicians
Nature – Exploring the local environments
This year, we will be learning about ‘Fission, Fells and Farming’ which are all very important to our local area! Pupils will develop their orienteering skills to plan, navigate and walk a route on fells within the local area,; they will experience visitors from local farms and a trip to see ‘Farmer Kev’ to learn about food, animals and our local farming landscape; as well as find out how the nuclear industry has shaped the place that we call home.
In addition, we run a family project to encourage pupils to explore the wonderful surroundings of Cumbria through our ‘Love the Lakes Challenge’. Pupils can log their adventures over the year and win a medal for their efforts using our Padlet.
More information can be found here Cumbrian Award